KCHA tightens rules for residents

GALESBURG — The Knox County Housing Authority is looking to toughen its rules for residents.

The change approved Tuesday is a result of a recent eviction case in which a local judge ruled a resident could keep living in KCHA housing after being charged with possession of cannabis.

Derek Antoine, KCHA executive director, said the person was allowed to stay because language was not specified or clarified in the lease.

Cannabis "is still not an OK thing (on a federal level). There has been a shift at the local level and state level" but not federally, Antoine said.

So further leases will list offenses to the controlled substance act and the Illinois Cannabis Control Act as possible justification for eviction.

"We're enforcing federal guidelines and rules, but we're running into problems with the state's and we just need to be more specific with our language."

Antoine said the KCHA Board of Commissioners approved paying Hein Construction of Galesburg $157,715.25 for improvements to handicapped-accessible aspects of Moon Towers in Galesburg and Bluebell Tower in Abingdon.

Those dollars come from the 2014 and 2015 capital fund grants, and the renovations are so the KCHA is fully complaint with Section 504, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and as a result, requires that units be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The final five units and installation of equipment in four visual/hearing impaired units were completed, and all tenants have been moved back to their units, KCHA documents said.